Typewriting machine



March 31. 1.925. 1,531,875 A. RAY

TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Aug. 2', 1922 2 sheets-snaai 2 Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES Latini@ PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO' RAY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N'. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPEWRITING MACHNE.

Application led August 2, 1922. Serial No. 579,090.

typing labels.

It is frequently necessary towrite, in succession, labels which differ in width or length from each other, and the labels are usually fed into vthe machine individually in final form. This is apt to result in waste, since the operator may underestimate the size of label required for a given amount of typewriting. The paper-feed rolls of the typewritingmachine, moreover, release the paper when the line of writingr is still a considerable distance above the lower margin of the label; and this is likely to cause the last line or two to bejwritten unevenly,- and may cause the label to be rendered useless by the writing of one line over another.

In attempting to avoid some of these difficulties by using labels in strips, it is found necessary toremove one strip from the machine and insert another strip of different width. This consumes time and is otherwise objectionable. f

The Object of this invention is to overcome these and other ditliculties. There is produced a typewriting machine which is capable of feedinga strip material for labels i of different widths to the writingq mechanism independently of each other,.to obviate the necessity for removing either strip from the machine while the other is being written upon and fed.

Another feature of the inventionv is the provision of holders for label material, together with a platen-section corresponding to each holder. a line-spacingmechanism common to all of the platen-sections, and

means whereby each platen-section may be connected to or disconnected from the common line-spacing mechanism. The platensections are of assorted lengths, to correspond with the widths of the various strips that are simultaneously in place in the machine.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a .platen composed lof a plural` i ,ity-0f 4sections each of .which is ,capable `of being rotated independently of the others, or in conjunction with one or more of them.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of means for carrying strips of material to be written upon which are movable with the carriage across the machine, but which are so mounted that they do not partake of the vertical movement of the platen-carriage when the latter is shifted to print characters in upper-case,v and .which are so positioned that the paper is not unrolled bythe relative shifting movements of.

broken away to revealthe frameworkfor supporting the paper-rolls. c

Figure 2 is la front elevation of the carriage shown in Figure l, thepaper-shelf beingr broken away in this view also.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the carriasre and associated parts on the line 3-3 of Figure 4, the view beingL usual depending guide-lusts 2`which sub-- stantially'em'brace the guide-rod 3 extend-y ing' transversely of the machine.'

A bracket 4 is supported upon the carriage-frame v1 by its legs 5, which are secured to the carriage-frame and extendupwardly and rearwardly therefrom. Arms l6 are secured at' spacedintervals to the body-portion of this bracket. These arms are provided with slots 7 in'their upper faces forl removably holding the reduced ends 8 ofthe cores or shafts 9 upon which-rolls of paperil() are carried. It will be noticed that separate shafts are provided for the paper-rolls and that-the bearing` slots "Z for adjacent shafts -are arranged to positionV the shafts out of contact with each other, so thatI separate and distinct bearings for (each'shaft are provided,

thus insuring that the feeding of the paper from one of the rolls will have no tendency to eifect a turning of the shaft upon which any other roll is mounted, with the consequent unrolling of the paper. The bearings are so situated that the paper may be fed from a position higher than and just in the rea-r of the paper-shelf 31, so that the papershelf will not unroll the paper when the platen-carriage is shifted tov cause uppercase characters to be written.

The numeral 11 indicates generally the platen-carriage, which, iny addition to its movement across the machine with the carriage-frame 1, may also be moved vertically by the usual shift-key (not shown) acting through the shifting rod 12 and connected mechanism when it is desired to write Aupper-case characters. A platen-shaft 13 is mounted on the platen-carriage in the usual manner, and may be actuated step by step to space the written linesthrough the knobs 14 or through the line-spacer 15, both of these means being operatively connected to the shaft and turning it in the customary way. The knobs 1li arev also operable, of course, to turn the platen-shaft in the reverse direction, if desired, for the purpose of making corrections, or of withdrawingl a strip from the machine. o

The platen of this machine is not made `in a single section as is customary, but is made in a plurality of sections 16, each of which corresponds inl width and lateral position to the width and lateral position of one of the paper-bearing shafts, previously described. Mechanically these platen-sections and their operating means are identical. Each platensection is mounted freely upon the shaft 13 with respect to rotation, but is retained against movement lengthwise of the shaft by a screw 17 carried near one end of the platensection and having asmooth end 18 slidably received in a peripheral groove 19 formed in the shaft. At its other end, the platen-section has teeth 2O adapted to mesh with a tooth 21 of a clutch member in the form of a collar 22 mounted upon the shaft 13. This clutch member is slidable lengthwise of the shaft, but is compelled to rotate with it by means of a key 23 on the shaft engaging in a slot 9A- in the collar. A rodl 25 is mounted parallel to the platen-shaft on the platen-carriage and extends from end to end thereof. Arms 26 are secured upon this rod at rspaced intervals. Each arm has pivotally mounted upon it a clutch-shifting lever 27 having a handle at its upper end for manual operation and carrying a roller 28 at its lower end, which roller is maintained in a` peripheral groove 29 of one of the clutch members 22. Feeding rollers 30 are provided to co-operate with each platensection.

`VVl1en a machine embodying the invention is vto be used, the paper from all of the paper-rolls is passed between the platen-sections and the feed-rolls. The operator, desiring to write a label of a certain width, will then cause the platen-section corresponding to that width to be operatively connected with the platen-shaft through rits clutch, and will cause all of the other sections to be disconnected. The label may then be written without in any way disturbing or affecting the condition of the paper on the rolls which are not supplying .the paper for the label.

The turning of the platen-shaft through the line-spacer or one of the knobs will. turnL only that platen-section which is voperatively connected. lf it should be deemed desirable to write two or more labels at .the same time to avoid line-spacing for each separately, it will be understood that this may be accomplished by causingfanyl desired number of the platen-sections to be operatively connected to the platen-shaft simultaneously.

The word paper as used in thisvsp'eciiication is intended to include any material which is suitable for the production of typewritten labels.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portionsof the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I,

claim:

1. A machine for typing selectively upon labels of numerous assorted widths, comprising a battery of revoluble eo-aXial platen-sections of assorted lengths occupying the entire typing iield of the machine, a set of sources 'of supply of label webs yof assorted widths provided at theintaleside of the machine and corresponding with said platen sections, the webs leadingside by ,side from said sources of supply to said platensections respectively, and means for linespacing any of said platen sections at will independently of the remaining sectiOIls.

2. A machine for typing selectively upon labels of numerous assorted widths,

comprising a battery of revoluble Coy-axialv platen-sections of assorted lengths occupying the entire typing lfield of the machine, a setvof sources of supply of label webs of assorted widths providedv at the .intake side' of the machine and corresponding` with said platen-sections, the websleading side by side from said sources of supply to said platensections respectively, a reciprocating line-y spacing mechanism common to all of said platen-sections, and means to enable said line-spacing mechanism to operate any se side of the machine, the label Webs leading side by side from said sources of supply to the typing mechanism of the machine, a revoluble platen device over Which the label webs are led, said platen device occupying the entire typing tield of the machine, a line-spacing mechanism common to all of the Webs, and means to enable said linespacing mechanism to operate any selected Web to the exclusion of the remaining Webs.

4l. A machine for typing selectively upon labels of numerous assorted Widths, comprising a battery of label-Web spools of assorted lengths side by side at the intake side of the machine, a revoluble platen device over which label Webs are led side by side from said spools, said platen device occupying the entire typing eld of the machine, a line-spacing mechanism common to all the Webs, and means to enable said linespacing mechanism to operate any selected web to the exclusion of the remaining Webs.

5. A machine for typing selectively upon labels of numerous assorted Widths, c0m-V prising a battery of label-Web spools of assorted lengths side by side at the intakev side of the machine, a battery of concentric revo luble sectional platens over which label Webs are led side by side from said spools, said platen-sections occupying the entire typing field of the machine, a line-spacing mechanism common to all the platen-sections, and means to enable said line-spacing mechanism to operate any selected platensection to the exclusion of the remaining platen-sections.

6. In a typeWriting machine, a platenshaft, a plurality of platen-sections upon said shaft, and means for connecting any of said platen-sections for rotation With said shaft at the Will of the operator.

7. A typewriter-platen consisting of a series of separate sections of gradually increasing widths.

ALONZO RAY. Witnesses:

I. L. RIGGS, E. J. BARBEAU. 

